Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-10-14
more imposing py the long Dea-

more imposing Dy the long Dea- -
wore
The personality of one individual among
them, however, impressed Us ar once. He
seemed 10 stand out among his fellows and
! refused to be overlooked. He was very old
eighty at least-and extremely tall, with
a long, snow-white beard that hungnearly
| to his waist. His features were aquiIine
and deeply cut, and his eyes were gray
and cold-looking. The heads of the others
were bare, but this man wore a sort of
round cap entirely covered with gold en-
| broidery, from which we judged that he
| was a person of great importance; and in
deed, it afterward transpired that he was
AgOn, the High Priest OF the country. As
we approached, all these men, including
| the priests, rose and bowed to us with the
greatest courtesy, at the same time placing
the two fingers across the lips in saluta-
ton Then soft-footed attendants ad-
vanced from between tife pillars, bearing
| seats, which were placed in a line in front
of the thrones We three sat down, Al
phOnse and UmslOp0gaas standing behind
us. Scarcely had we done SO when there
came blare of trumpets from some pass
age to the right and similar blare from
the left. Next man with a long white
wand of ivory appeared just in front of the
right-hand throne, and cried out something
in loud voice, ending with the word NJ
lepthd. repeated three times; and another
man, similarly attired, called out a similar
sentence before the other throne. but end.
ing with the word SOTdiS, also repeated
thrice. Then came the tramp of armed
men from each side-entrance, and in filed
| about a score of picked and magniicently
| accoutered guards, who formed upon each
side Of the thrones, and let their heavy
irOn-handled spears fall simultaneously
with n clash upon the black marble floor
ing. Another double blare OF trumpets,
| and in from either side, each attended by
six madens, swept the two Queens of Zu-
vendis, everybody in the hall rising to
greet them as they came.
| have seen beautiful women in my day,
and am no longer thrown into transports
at the sight of a pretty face; but language
fails me when try to give some idea OF
| the blaze of lOveliness that then broke up
| on rs in the persons of these sister Queens.
Both were young-pcrhap5 fye-and-twenty
years of age-ta!I AMI eXquisitely formed;
but there the likeness stopped. One, Ny
leptha, was woman of dazzling fairness;
her right arm and breast. bare, after the
custom of her people, showed like snow
| dered KAT" or toga; and as for her sweet
face, all can say is that it was one that
few men could look on and forget Her
hair, veritable crown of gold, clustered
in short ringlets over her shapely head.
half hiding the ivory brow, beneath which
eyes of deep and glorious gray flashed out
in tender majesty. | cannot attempt to
describe her other features only the mouth
was most sweet, and curved like Cupid's
bow, and over the whole cOuntenance there
ShOne an Undesirable look of loving kind
ness, lit up by Il shadow of delicate humor
that lay upon her face like touch of SILVER
on a rosy cloud.
She wore no jewels, but on her neck,
arm, and knee were the usual torques of
gold, in this instance fashioned like n
! snake; and her dress was of pure white
linen, of excessive fineness plentifully EN-
broidered with gold and with the familiar
symbols of the sun.
Her twin sister Sorais, was of different
and darker type Of beauty. Her hair was
wavy, like Nyleptha's, but coal-black, and
fell in masses on her shoulders: her com
pleXiOn was olive, her eyes large dark. and
Iustrous; the lips were full and | thought
rather cruel Somehow her face, quiet
and even cold as it was gave an idea oil
passion in r"pos", and caused one TO won
der iRVOluntarily what its aspect would be
if anything occurred to break the calm 1t
reminded me- of the deep sea, that even or
the biupSt days never loses its visible stamp
of power and in its murmuring sleep is
yet instinct with the spirit of the storm
Her figure, like her sisters was almost
perfect in its curves and outlines, but q
trAe more rounded, and her dress was alb
solutCly the same.
As tins lovely pair swept onward to their
respective thrones amid the deep attentive
silence OF the Court, was Bound 10 con
fess to myself that they did indeed fulfill
my idea of royalty. Royal they were in
every way-in form, in grace, in queenly
dignity, and in the barbaric SplendOr of
their attendant pOmp. But methought
that they needed 10 guards or gold to pro-
claim their power and bind the loyalty of
Maynard men. y glance from those bright
eyes, or Il smile from those sweet lips, and
while the red blood runs in the veins Of
youth, women such as the evil never lack
for subjects ready to do their biddings to
the death.
But, after all, they were women first and
queens aftcrward, and therefore not de
void of curiosity. As they passed to their
seats, saw both of them glance swiftly in
our direction. / saw, too, that their eyes
passed by me, seeing nothing to charm
them in the person of an insignificant and
griZZlcd old man. Then they looked with
evident establishment on the grim form Of
Old UmslOpogaas, who raised his AK in
salutation. Attracted next by the splcn-
dor of Goods apparel for a second their
ola
upon flower; then off it darted to where
Sir Henry Curtis stood, the sunlight from
Il window playing upon his yellow hair
| and peaked beard, and marking out the
outlines of his massive frame against the
twilight of the somewhat gloomy hall He
raised his eyes, and they met the fair Ny
leptha's full; and thus for the first time
| the goodlieSt man and woman that il has
ever been my lot to see, looked one upon
another. And why it was | knew not, but
saw the swift blood run up beneath Ny
leptha's skin as the pink lights run up the
morning sky. Red grew her fair bosom
and shapely arm, red the swanlike neck;
the rounded cheeks blushed red as the
petals of a rose, and then the crimson flood
sank back to whence it came and left her
pale and trembling
l glanced at Sir Henry. He, too, had
colored up to the eyes.
ooh, my word" thought l to myself,
''thc ladies have come on the stage, and
now we may look to the plot to develop it
selt.' And sighed and shook my head,
knowing that the beauty of woman is
like the beauty of the Eghtning-a de
| structive thing and cause of desolatisn.
BY the time that had finished my refec-
tons, both the queens were on the thrones;
for all this had happened in about four
seconds. Once more the unseen trumpets
blared out, and then the Court seated it
self, and Queen Sorais motioned to us to
do likewise.
Next, from among the crowd whittier he
had withdrawn, stepped forward our guide,
the old gentleman who had towed us
| ashore, holding by the hand the girl whom
we had seen first and afterward rescued
| from the hipDODOtamuS HAVING made